We develop several methods that allow us to compute all-loop partition functions in perturbative Chern-Simons theory with complex gauge group G C , sometimes in multiple ways. In the background of a non-abelian irreducible flat connection, perturbative G C invariants turn out to be interesting topological invariants, which are very different from finite type (Vassiliev) invariants obtained in a theory with compact gauge group G. We explore various aspects of these invariants and present an example where we compute them explicitly to high loop order. We also introduce a notion of "arithmetic TQFT" and conjecture (with supporting numerical evidence) that SL(2, C) Chern-Simons theory is an example of such a theory.

All weak traveling wave solutions of the Camassa-Holm equation are classified. We show that, in addition to smooth solutions, there are a multitude of traveling waves with singularities: peakons, cuspons, stumpons, and composite waves.

Abstract. We study an equation lying 'mid-way' between the periodic HunterSaxton and Camassa-Holm equations, and which describes evolution of rotators in liquid crystals with external magnetic field and self-interaction. We prove that it is an Euler equation on the diffeomorphism group of the circle corresponding to a natural right-invariant Sobolev metric. We show that the equation is bihamiltonian and admits both cusped as well as smooth traveling-wave solutions which are natural candidates for solitons. We also prove that it is locally well-posed and establish results on the lifespan of its solutions. Throughout the paper we argue that despite similarities to the KdV, CH and HS equations, the new equation manifests several distinctive features that set it apart from the other three.

We consider an integrable generalization of the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation that was recently derived by one of the authors using bi-Hamiltonian methods. This equation is related to the NLS equation in the same way that the Camassa Holm equation is related to the KdV equation. In this paper we: (a) Use the bi-Hamiltonian structure to write down the first few conservation laws. (b) Derive a Lax pair. (c) Use the Lax pair to solve the initial value problem. (d) Analyze solitons.

The Hunter-Saxton equation is the Euler equation for the geodesic flow on the quotient space Rot(S)\D(S) of the infinitedimensional group D(S) of orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms of the unit circle S modulo the subgroup of rotations Rot(S) equipped with theḢ 1 right-invariant metric. We establish several properties of the Riemannian manifold Rot(S)\D(S): it has constant curvature equal to 1, the Riemannian exponential map provides global normal coordinates, and there exists a unique length-minimizing geodesic joining any two points of the space. Moreover, we give explicit formulas for the Jacobi fields, we prove that the diameter of the manifold is exactly π 2 , and we give exact estimates for how fast the geodesics spread apart. At the end, these results are given a geometric and intuitive understanding when an isometry from Rot(S)\D(S) to an open subset of an L 2 -sphere is constructed.